Aviator&#39;s harness



July I, 1930.

S. H. KNIGHT AVIATOR'S HARNESS Filed Feb. 5, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l InvenTor A mumuyht July 1, 1930. s. H. KNIGHT AVIATOR'S HARNESS Filed Feb.5, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 1, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE SAMUEL II. 'KNIGHT, OF LANCASTER, PENSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TOFOLLMER, CLOGG AND COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK AVIATORS HARNESSApplication filed February 5, 1929- Serial No. 887,621.

The present harness adapts itself automati- (ally to all of the aviatorsmovements; the load straps can be continued from one place of connectionwith the shrouds to their other place of connection without break. Thedevice can be adjusted quickly and simply to fit aviators of differentsizes, and does not restrict the free movements of the aviator. Therelative arrangements and proportions of the parts, and the universalityof the sliding of the body straps on each other and on the load carryingstraps of the harness assure the aut0 matic adjustments above mentionedand the arrangement of the adjusting of the various buckles enables therequired changes in size to be made readily and swiftly. It alsoprovides an unusually secure seat for the aviator during the descent andthrough the continuity of the load cords, a greater certainty of therequisite strength. It is not displaceable from its position on theaviator by any force he is likely to be subjected to. In a device usedin an emergency so full of peril as an escapefrom an airplane, a verygreat importance is attached to small changes that produce an assuranceof greater safety.

The harness belongs tothe class of strap harnesses, wherein the weightof the aviator is carried by load strapping running down thefront of thebody on either side. In my device this load strapping is continuous(thus avoiding any juncture by sewing) and passes behind the aviatorsthighs. Thus it forms a seat for him during his descent. Leg strapsadapted to pass on the inside of the aviators thighs are firmly securedto it and enclose the thighs. A body strapping is clasped at its endsinto connection with them and is held in position on both sides, bymeans of sliding loops in the load straps at the point of the hips,through which the lower portions of the body strapping pass. By thisconstruction the sling of the load strap is prevented from riding uponto the back of the aviator and the whole lower part of the harnessvery firmly positioned with reference to the load straps and theaviators body. The body strapping consists preferably of a single pieceof strapping for most of its length. In-practic'e, each end of the bodystrapping is turned over to form a loop, holding therein a claspingelement and is secured by an adapter to the body strapping. Between theclasp and the adapter, it' passes through a slip loop in v the loadstrap. This slip loop is, in practice,

an anchorage that limits the relative move ments of the load strappingand body strapping and thus aids materially in positioning exactly andfirmly the harness in the neighborhood of the seat and thighs. From theadapters, near its ends, the strapping runs diagonally up the back andacross the shoulders, and is adjustable at a point near the shoulders byanother pair of adapters to the load strapping. It then passes down, infront as of the body, having a clasp for attachment across the chest,after which itslides adjustably through a pair of slip loops in the loadstrap and crosses the back of the aviator,

holding the diagonal portion of the strapping Fig. 3 is a front view ofthe harness on a.

dummy. Fig. 4 is aback view of the harness on a dummy. Fig. 5 is a viewof the parts at p the ends of the leg straps. Fig. (3 is a view of aslip loop. Fig. 7 is a perspective of the parts shown at the shoulder inFig. 2. Fig. 8 0

is a view of one of the slip loops at the hips.

The load strap, 1, 1, is attached at its ends to a parachute (not shownand the particular form of which is not a limitation on my invention)and passes over the shoulders of the aviator. and is adapted to fit overhis chest and abdomen and continues down on each side towards theaviators hips and passes behind the thighs forming a sling or seat, 91.This load strap consists, in practice, of two thicknesses of strapping,60, and 61. that are sewed together at portions of their length by rowsof stitches. 8, 18, 118. In practice, this load strap is formed of asingle integral length of strapping. To this load strap are fastened bythe stitches of the seams, 75, 75,'the leg straps, 77, 77. The bodystrapping is. in practice, a single ,thickness of'strapping except atthe ends where it is turned over and held to the adapters, 15,

15, thus forming adjustable loops, 33, that carry the claspinginstrumentalities, 11, and 13, which engage with other clasping1nstrumentalities, 110, and 113, attached to the leg straps, 77, 77.

The body strapping is fixed in position at the shoulders by the twoadapters, 16, and 16, to the load straps, 1. The total length of thebody strapping is regulated by the extent to which theturned over parts6, are turned over and secured, by the adapters, 15, 15, to the parts,7, 7 or by the adjusting of he lengthof the leg strapping as belowdescribed, or by both. After these adjustments have been made, to fitthe size of the aviator, all. the remaining connections between thevarious parts of the body strapping and all the other connectionsbetween the body strapping and the load strap are made by slip loops, orby sliding clasps, that ride freely alon the body stra ping. The lowerends, 6, an 7, of the bo y straps forming the loop. 33, pass through thelower slip loops, 20, in the load carrying strap, 1. This, in practice,is a compound slip loop, asis particularly shown in Fig. 8, the portion,6, of the slip loop, 33, being positioned between the layers, 60, and61, and the layer, 61, being positioned between the portions, 6, and 7.This form of slip loop retains the body strapping relatively to the loadstrap without injuriously interfering with the play along the slip loop,20. From the retainers, 15, the body strapping is turned over the sideof the wearer and slantingly upwards along his back, to the slip loops,23, 24.

The slip loops, 23, and 24, are positioned at the portion, 25, of thebody strapping that forms the back of the belt. Through these sliploops, 23, and 24, the portions i9, 9,015

the body strapping pass. The portions, 9, 9, of the body strappingextend from the slip loops, 23, and 24, crossing each other diagonallyand passing over the shoulders to the adapters, 16, 16, on the loadstrap, 1, to which it is held by them, and are continued downward overthe wearers chest by the portions, 27, that carry the clasping elements,3, and 4, which are loosely slidable on the portions, 27. The portions,27, form loops of automatically varying lengthand shape, between theadapters, 16, 16, and the slip loops, 30, 30, along which the links ofthe clasping elements, 3, and 4, can slide. The portion 25. of the bodystrapping forming the back of the belt is a continuation of the parts,27 27 and has on it the slip loops, 23, and 24, as above described. Thelower ends, 33,- 33, of the slip loops have the' portions that'aremarked, 6, and 7, and that pass through the slip loops, 20,20, as abovede scribed. These portions, 6, and 7, carry the clasping elements, 13,and 11, that engage with the clasping elements, 110, and 113, thatare'fsecured to the legstraps, 77, 77 which are positively secured tothe load strap, 1, at the seat portion, as shown in the drawings by rowsof stitching. In practice, the length of the leg straps, 77 is madeadjustable; the

adapters, 76, regulating the length of the loops, 79, 79. The harness,therefore, will be positioned quite positively at the hips andshoulders, after it has been adjusted by the adapters to the size of theaviator, and will automatically adjust itself to the body withoutdisplacing or bulging on the body.

As additional features, I use, to keep the straps, 1, 1, at the points,a, a, from slipping down and off the shoulder, the snaps 38, 38,

38, arranged to adjust with the socket, 37, by which' the strap, 1, canbe secured to the body strapping. (See Figs. 4 and 5). The load straplayers, 60, 61, can be secured together by a snap, 137.

By attaching the hook, 13, to one of the leg straps and the eye, 110, tothe other leg strap the aviator will be prevented from unintentionallyreversing the clasps.

I claim A 1. In a harness for aviators composed wholly of strapping, thecombination of a load strap adapted to be'positioned vertically in frontof each side of the body of the wearer, and to pass behind the thighs ofthe aviator at the portion thereofbetween the portions positionedvertically in front of the body of the wearer to form a sling, a bodystrapping that consists of a single piece of strapping having claspingmembers attached to the ends thereof, the load strap and the bodystrapping having co-operating slip loops positioned on either side ofthe sling portion and adjacent to each end of the body strapping, saidload straps also having slip loops in each of the portions thereofadapted to pass in front of the body of the wearer midway between thehips and shoulders, leg straps secured to the load straps at points ontheir sling forming portion and provided with clasps engaging with theclasps at the ends of the body strapping, and adapters securing the bodystrapping and the load carrying straps together at eac side ofthe'wearer at the shoulders, the intermediate portion of the bodystrapping between the shoulders and leg straps being provided with sliploops, in which portions of the body strapping slip, whereby the bodyportion of the said strapping becomes automatically self-adjusting.

2. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the body strapping isfurnished with adapters near each end and which hold folded over ends ofthis strapping forming loops holding the clasping. devices 3. The deviceas defined in claim 1, whereside of its middle,

ping having clasping members at the ends of the same, and adapted toengage with the clasping members on the leg strapping, ad-

, justing means operating to determine the length of the sum of the legstrapping and the body strapping positioned adjacently to the claspingmembers aforesaid, adapters connecting the said body strapping and loadstrapping adjacently to the shoulders of the wearer, a series of sliploops connecting the body strapping with itself and with the loadstrapping between the said clasping members and said adapters that areat the shoulders of the wearer, said body strapping having also claspingmembers that are slidable along said body strapping at the chest of thewearer and engagewith each other.

5. The device as defined in claim 4 wherein the load strapping and thebody strapping are each provided with slip loops interlocking with eachother, at the level of the hip of the wearer, said slip loops mutuallyengaging and limiting the relative movements of the load and bodystrapping.

6. An aviators harness comprising in combination a load strappingcomposed of a single length of strapping passing in the form of a slingbehind the thighs of the wearer, and having its portions on either sideof the aviator running vertically and in front of the b0 y of theaviator, and'provided with'slip loops adapted to receive the bodystrapping, a pair of leg strappings solidly secured to the loadstrapping ad acent to the sling portion thereof, a body strapping havinga central portion lying at the back of the waist of the aviator, andprovided with slip 100 s on either the portions 0 said body strapping oneither side of said central ortion, passing to the front of the body ofthe aviator and through said slip loops in the said load strapping, overthe shoulders of the aviator, down the back of the aviator and throughthe said slip loops in the said central portion of the body strappingand then around the hips of the aviator to the front of his body, saidbody strapping being provided, at both side of the body of the aviator,with an adjustable anchorage to the leg strap- 4 ping adjacent to theaviators thighs and with an adjustable anchorage to the load strappingadjacent to the aviators shoulders, and with a self-adjusting connectionbetween the load 4 strapping and the body strapping at each of theaviators hips, and with' self adjusting connection between the twoopposite ortions of the body strapping at the front of t e chest. 7. Thedevice as defined in claim 6 wherein the portions of the body strappingpositioned at the back of the aviator, and extendin from the shouldersto the hips run diagonal y and cross each other.

SAMUEL H. KNIGHT.

